Finnish parliamentary election, 1975

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Parliamentary elections were held in Finland on 21 and 22 September 1975. [1]

Finland Republic in Northern Europe

Finland, officially the Republic of Finland is a country in Northern Europe bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Norway to the north, Sweden to the northwest, and Russia to the east. Finland is a Nordic country and is situated in the geographical region of Fennoscandia. The capital and largest city is Helsinki. Other major cities are Espoo, Vantaa, Tampere, Oulu and Turku.

Contents

Background

Prime Minister Kalevi Sorsa's Social Democratic Party government survived until June 1975. It resigned because of internal disagreements over the ways to combat Finland's recession, which had largely been caused by the 1973 oil crisis, as well as the government's increased spending and taxes. The Social Democrats and Centre Party also disagreed on regional policy over the extent to which the national government should re-distribute power and tax revenues to cities, towns and administrative provinces.

Kalevi Sorsa Prime Minister of Finland

Taisto Kalevi Sorsa was a Finnish politician who served as Prime Minister of Finland three times: 1972–1975, 1977–1979 and 1982–1987. At the time of his death he still held the record for most days of incumbency as prime minister. He was also a long-time leader of the Social Democratic Party of Finland.

Social Democratic Party of Finland registered political party in Finland

The Social Democratic Party of Finland, shortened to the Social Democrats, is a social-democratic political party in Finland. The party holds 35 seats in Finland's parliament. The party has set many fundamental policies of Finnish society during its representation in the Finnish Government. Founded in 1899, the SDP is Finland's oldest active political party. The SDP has a close relationship with Finland's largest trade union, SAK, and is a member of the Socialist International, the Party of European Socialists, and SAMAK.

The 1973 oil crisis began in October 1973 when the members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries proclaimed an oil embargo. The embargo was targeted at nations perceived as supporting Israel during the Yom Kippur War. The initial nations targeted were Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States with the embargo also later extended to Portugal, Rhodesia and South Africa. By the end of the embargo in March 1974, the price of oil had risen from US$3 per barrel to nearly $12 globally; US prices were significantly higher. The embargo caused an oil crisis, or "shock", with many short- and long-term effects on global politics and the global economy. It was later called the "first oil shock", followed by the 1979 oil crisis, termed the "second oil shock."

President Urho Kekkonen had gradually become dissatisfied with the performance of Prime Minister Sorsa, Finance Minister Johannes Virolainen and Foreign Minister Ahti Karjalainen: either they were not competent, diligent or courageous enough, or they spent too much time in partisan disputes, or - in Virolainen's case, especially - their foreign policy ability or understanding was not good enough. Although Helsinki was to host the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) at the end of July and at the start of August 1975, Kekkonen did not worry about the possibly negative effect on Finland's international image of having a caretaker government. He appointed it, and chose Keijo Liinamaa of the Social Democratic Party as Prime Minister, who was the state labour disputes mediator.

Urho Kekkonen eighth President of Finland

Urho Kaleva Kekkonen was a Finnish politician who served as the eighth and longest-serving President of Finland (1956–82). He ruled over Finland for nearly 26 years, and held a questionably large amount of power; he is often classified as an autocrat. Regardless, he remains a popular, respected and recognizable figure. Previously, he had served as Prime Minister of Finland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Speaker of the Finnish Parliament (1948–50) and Minister of Justice. As president, Kekkonen continued the "active neutrality" policy of his predecessor President Juho Kusti Paasikivi, a doctrine that came to be known as the "Paasikivi–Kekkonen line", under which Finland retained its independence while maintaining good relations and extensive trade with members of both NATO and the Warsaw Pact. He hosted the European Conference on Security and Co-operation in Helsinki in 1975 and was considered a potential candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize that year.

Johannes Virolainen Finnish Prime Minister

Johannes Virolainen was a Finnish politician and who served as 30th Prime Minister of Finland.

Ahti Karjalainen Finnish politician

Ahti Kalle Samuli Karjalainen was a Finnish politician. He was a member of the Agrarian League and served two terms as Prime Minister of Finland. He is, however, better known for his period as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland. Karjalainen is considered one of the most influential figures in post-war Finnish politics. Like President Urho Kekkonen, Karjalainen attached great importance to Finland's relationship with the Soviet Union.

Campaign

The opposition parties campaigned with varied slogans; the Finnish People's Democratic League claimed to be loyal supporters of Kekkonen's foreign policy towards the Soviet Union and to be even more faithful defenders of the working class than the Social Democrats; the National Coalition Party promised voters lower taxes and more security; the Finnish Rural Party bitterly condemned Kekkonen's allegedly authoritarian presidency, and his "servile" foreign policy towards the Soviet Union.

Finnish Peoples Democratic League political party

Finnish People's Democratic League was a Finnish political organisation with the aim of uniting those left of the Finnish Social Democratic Party. It was founded in 1944 as the anti-communist laws in Finland were repealed due to the demands of the Soviet Union, and lasted until 1990, when it merged into the newly formed Left Alliance. At its time, SKDL was one of the largest leftist parties in capitalist Europe, with its main member party, the Communist Party of Finland, being one of the largest communist parties west of the Iron Curtain. The SKDL enjoyed its greatest electoral success in the 1958 parliamentary election, when it gained a support of approximately 23 per cent and a representation of 50 MPs of 200 total, making it the largest party in the Eduskunta.

Soviet Union 1922–1991 country in Europe and Asia

The Soviet Union, officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), was a socialist state in Eurasia that existed from 30 December 1922 to 26 December 1991. Nominally a union of multiple national Soviet republics, its government and economy were highly centralized. The country was a one-party state, governed by the Communist Party with Moscow as its capital in its largest republic, the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. Other major urban centres were Leningrad, Kiev, Minsk, Alma-Ata, and Novosibirsk. It spanned over 10,000 kilometres east to west across 11 time zones, and over 7,200 kilometres north to south. It had five climate zones: tundra, taiga, steppes, desert and mountains.

National Coalition Party centre-right political party in Finland

The National Coalition Party is a centre-right political party in Finland considered to be liberal, conservative, and liberal-conservative. Founded in 1918, the National Coalition Party is one of the three largest parties in Finland, along with the Social Democratic Party and the Centre Party. The current party chair is Petteri Orpo, elected on 11 June 2016. The party self-statedly bases its politics on "freedom, responsibility and democracy, equal opportunities, education, supportiveness, tolerance and caring" and supports multiculturalism and gay rights. It is pro-NATO and pro-European as well as a member of the European People's Party (EPP).

The right-wing Constitutional People's Party accused Kekkonen of violating the Constitution's spirit by forcing Parliament to re-elect him as President through an exceptional law in 1973, and the Finnish Christian League kept opposing abortion, pornography, the sale of beer in grocery stores, and the public mocking of Christian values.

The Constitutional Right Party was an anticommunist political party in Finland. The party was founded in 1973 by the parliamentarian Master in Law Georg C. Ehrnrooth as an anticommunist split from the Swedish People's Party (SFP).

Christian Democrats (Finland) registered political party in Finland

The Christian Democrats are a Christian-democratic political party in Finland. The Christian Democrats have five seats in the Finnish Parliament. The party was represented in the Finnish government by Minister of Interior Päivi Räsänen from 22 June 2011 until 29 May 2015.

Results

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Social Democratic Party 683,59024.954–1
Finnish People's Democratic League 519,48318.940+3
National Coalition Party 505,14518.435+1
Centre Party 484,77217.639+4
Swedish People's Party 128,2114.790
Liberal People's Party 119,5344.39+2
Finnish Rural Party 98,8153.62–16
Finnish Christian League 90,5993.69+5
Finnish People's Unity Party 45,4021.71New
Constitutional People's Party 43,3441.61New
Party of Finnish Entrepreneurs11,4750.40New
Åland Coalition 9,4820.310
Socialist Workers Party 9,4570.30New
Others5090.00–
Invalid/blank votes11,405–––
Total2,761,2231002000
Registered voters/turnout3,741,46073.8––
Source: Tilastokeskus 2004, [2] Suomen virallinen tilasto [3]
Popular vote
SDP
 
24.86%
SKDL
 
18.89%
KOK
 
18.37%
KESK
 
17.63%
RKP
 
4.66%
LKP
 
4.35%
SMP
 
3.59%
SKL
 
3.29%
SKYP
 
1.65%
SPK
 
1.58%
Others
 
1.12%
Parliament seats
SDP
 
27.00%
SKDL
 
20.00%
KESK
 
19.50%
KOK
 
17.50%
RKP
 
4.50%
LKP
 
4.50%
SKL
 
4.50%
SMP
 
1.00%
SKYP
 
0.50%
SPK
 
0.50%
Others
 
0.50%

Aftermath

Government formation in the midst of a quickly deepening recession and after an inconclusive election proved very painstaking. Veteran Centrist politician Martti Miettunen finally succeeded, with the help of Kekkonen's strongly-worded televised speech, in forming a centre-left majority "emergency" government in November 1975. It lasted until September 1976, when the Social Democrats and Finnish People's Democratic League left it. Miettunen then formed a centrist minority government. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

Martti Miettunen Finnish politician

Martti Juhani Miettunen, was a Finnish politician who served twice as Finland's prime minister, from 1961 to 1962 and again from 1975 to 1977.

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Karl-August Fagerholm was Speaker of Parliament and three times Prime Minister of Finland. Fagerholm became one of the leading politicians of the Social Democrats after the armistice in the Continuation War. As a Scandinavia-oriented Swedish-speaking Finn, he was believed to be more to the taste of the Soviet Union's leadership than his predecessor Väinö Tanner. Fagerholm's post-war career was however marked by fierce opposition from both the Kremlin and domestic communists. He narrowly lost the presidential election to Urho Kekkonen in 1956.

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References

  1. ↑ Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p606 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. ↑ 595. Eduskuntavaalit 1927–2003 [ permanent dead link ] (Tilastokeskus 2004)
  3. ↑ Suomen virallinen tilasto 29 A, XXXIII
  4. ↑ Seppo Zetterberg et al (2003) A Small Giant of the Finnish History, WSOY
  5. ↑ Raino Westerholm (1978) Into a Christian Society, Kirjayhtymä
  6. ↑ Veikko Vennamo (1989) As a Prisoner of the Kekkonen Dictatorship, Gummerus
  7. ↑ Kimmo Rentola (2005) A Ghost of Revolution: The Left, Belyakov and Kekkonen, Otava
  8. ↑ Georg C. Ehrnrooth (1999) Amid the Crocodiles: Memories from the Cold War Decades, Schildts
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